Interview: Namir Smallwood On Facing Off With Glenn Davis in TOPDOG/UNDERDOG at Steppenwolf

Steppenwolf Theatre Company launches its 51st Season with Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer Prize-winning drama TOPDOG/UNDERDOG, now playing a limited engagement through November 1, 2026 in the Downstairs Theater. Directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon, who returns to Steppenwolf following his hit production of KING JAMES, the revival arrives more than two decades after the company’s celebrated 2003 production. Brothers Lincoln and Booth, named in jest, are two Black men living in America just trying to get by. Lincoln dresses like his namesake, reenacting his assassination for money and laughs, while Booth stays stuck in their apartment, working tirelessly on his three-card hustle, until sibling rivalry and a lifetime of resentment come to a head.

Going head-to-head as the brothers are ensemble members Glenn Davis as Lincoln and Namir Smallwood as Booth. Smallwood joined the Steppenwolf ensemble in 2017, and his Steppenwolf credits include WINDFALL, THE BOOK OF GRACE, TRUE WEST, BLKS, and BUG, which he also performed on Broadway, along with PASS OVER. On screen, he has appeared in CHICAGO FIRE, AMERICAN RUST, and POWER BOOK IV: FORCE.

BroadwayWorld spoke with Smallwood about the production that shaped him as an artist, working with Kenny Leon, and why a play about money and power still feels like a play about America.

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What drew you and fellow Steppenwolf ensemble member Glenn Davis to this play, which kicks off Steppenwolf’s 51st Season?

We both had been wanting to do this play for the past 25 years. Glenn had seen the original production with Don Cheadle and Jeffrey Wright and I initially saw the original Broadway production with Jeffrey Wright and Mos Def. That production introduced me to the kind of artist I wanted to be.

TOPDOG/UNDERDOG debuted over 25 years ago and earned playwright Suzan-Lori Parks the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Why do you think this play remains so relevant today?

It’s a play about America. There is a mentality embedded within American culture where money sets the terms of who gets to be Topdogs and who will be Underdogs. Much like the play, these positions can shift in any given moment. Twenty-five years later, we are still seeing how the quest not to be seen as an underdog can have devastating consequences on every aspect of our society.

What was it like working with Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon, who helmed this production?

Kenny understands the play so well! It was a true joy of my career, thus far, to be challenged in ways that make me a better person first, artist second. His attention to detail and his trust in us as artists allows us to trust ourselves and each other in deeper ways that far exceed our connection as actors, but as real brothers.

How did you prepare to play Booth, and what do you find most compelling about his relationship with his three-card hustle?

To play Booth truthfully, I have to watch and listen in a much deeper way. Booth notices everything so I have to do the same; there is no stone unturned! Three-card monte, in my estimation, is the thing that will get Booth everything he’s ever wanted. That’s the thing that will make him the Topdog in his world. He’s seen what it has done for Lincoln at certain points in their life: the money, the women, the status, the reputation. It’s a hustle that creates dividends, if done correctly. A regular job won’t work for him, so this is the next best thing to a “dream job” Booth will ever get to experience.

How do you balance the play’s humor with its darker, more ferocious moments?

For me, it’s all about telling the truth and living honestly through every moment. That’s the only way I know how to “live” on stage every night. It’s a funny play and it’s just as ferociously heartbreaking. It only works if we can go through all its peaks and valleys truthfully.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being an ensemble member at Steppenwolf Theatre?

I have a home where I get to do amazing plays like this with amazing ensemble members like Glenn Davis and our newest member, Laura Glenn. It’s a blessing to be able to work and grow with an extraordinary collection of artists who are some of the baddest on the planet at what they do. It’s an honor I’m privileged to have.

What do you hope audience members take away from this production?

I hope audiences leave with a charge to be better people to themselves and others, because we are the saviors we’ve been searching for. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.

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